Has anyone heard back from A&O following their AC? I had mine 2 weeks ago - feels like a long time to wait... Not sure if they have given out any offers or rejections so far
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TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2021-22 (#1)
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Everyone is their own worst critic. You cannot go into an interview with that mindset. You aren't going to be embarrassing yourself by going to an interview for a law magic circle law firm... I view that as an achievement; it's something that most of the population have never been able to do. You should go in there with your head held high and feel proud to be in the position that you are in.
Imposter syndrome is a big thing, but it doesn't have to be. You deserve to be where you are. You've put the work into your application and into your degree and that hard work is finally coming to fruition. Just a few more steps.
I always liked a quote by Zig Ziglar that goes: 'You don't have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.'
Hey! I received this email from GR today,
Please be assured the GR team are still working hard to review all the applications received for our vacation schemes this year. We will be in touch with any updates to your application form via email.
I can totally agree with you though, the wait is agonising!
I completely understand the imposter syndrome feeling but you would not have been invited to interview if they didn't think that you were good enough. They simply wouldn't waste their time. You have worth and your skills and experiences are valuable. It is normal to feel nervous and apprehensive about such a big interview, but you have to believe that you are worth the time and effort that they are putting in to meet you. You have stood out from thousands of applications because they have seen something special in you. That could be your experience etc but it could just be YOU.
Acknowledge the nerves and how you are feeling but take time to relax, have a bubble bath with some good tunes on and let them meet the genuine you and affirm their thinking that you are someone that they want to be in business with. You are worth the effort and you have something unique to bring to the table....who you are!
You've got this
You got the interview because they see something in you. My SO is an associate at a MC firm now and has previously worked at two SC firms. He has interviewed people for vacation schemes. And at the end of the day, he always says “I just want to get the sense that this person is normal, easy to get along with, and has a good head on their shoulders”. That’s it. You’ve already impressed them on paper - now all you need to do is show them that you are, indeed, the person who wrote the application!
And if it provides you even a little bit of comfort…. He has a Charizard stuffed animal on his nightstand. Which goes to show you, fancy title or not, at the end of the day the people who interview you are humans too!
I think this is a very important point - lawyers, all the way from trainee to partner, are just people. To the extent that they are very impressive people, that is something they have accrued over time. Candidates aren't expected to be perfect, ready-made practitioners - a handful are, an overwhelming majority of us are not.
I assume in the next week or so. I’ve been told not only are the on a rolling basis, they get back to candidates quite fast.
Hypothetical question:
In the fortunate situation that one gets offered several vacation scheme offers and it ends up that they overlap ( eg. one is 1 july - 20 July and the other one is 17 july - 30 july), is there any alternative or is the only solution available to do just one of them?
Can you for example ask GR to do a Spring Scheme instead of SVS for one of them or would that be innappropriate?
Follow up questions
As ACs and responses after ACs come at different times for different firms, and let's say one gets a SVS offer and chooses a date for it. Then one does a later AC and gets another SVS and the dates overlap and one wants to do the second SVS more, are there any consequences if one cancels the first SVS?
Is a SVS offer without actually doing the SVS still something to put on your CV / LinkedIn?
Any guidance for this hypothetical situation would be much appreciated
In the fortunate situation that one gets offered several vacation scheme offers and it ends up that they overlap ( eg. one is 1 july - 20 July and the other one is 17 july - 30 july), is there any alternative or is the only solution available to do just one of them?
Can you for example ask GR to do a Spring Scheme instead of SVS for one of them or would that be innappropriate?
Follow up questions
As ACs and responses after ACs come at different times for different firms, and let's say one gets a SVS offer and chooses a date for it. Then one does a later AC and gets another SVS and the dates overlap and one wants to do the second SVS more, are there any consequences if one cancels the first SVS?
Is a SVS offer without actually doing the SVS still something to put on your CV / LinkedIn?
Any guidance for this hypothetical situation would be much appreciated
Congrats! When did you do your VI? And what are the AC dates?
Anyone heard from shearman or is it still early days
Jessica Booker
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Some affirmations for you:
- You are a successful minority - around 9 out of 10 people didn't get to where you are now.
- Linklaters set high standards even at the application stage - they clearly saw something in you that you can't see right now
- The firm want you to do well in the assessments - they wouldn't have invited you to the interview if they didn't think you could do well in them
- You have clearly done a lot to get where you are now - that hasn't been anything you have done in a short period of time - it's taken years to accumulate your skills and knowledge. You should recognise how much you have done that will get you through tomorrow.
Now for the tough love (I mean this with all the best of intentions even if it comes across as blunt!):
- Even if it isn't a positive decision, it doesn't mean there aren't positives to take from the experience. You have to see this as a learning opportunity rather than as one where the only outcome is that you will embarrass yourself.
- The key factor that is likely to negatively impact your chances at the moment is your own mindset.
- Do you really want to let how you are feeling now (which in contrast is a short period of time when compared to everything else you have done) really take over or diminish your own thinking about all your hard work to date?
As someone who has suffered from imposter syndrome, I know it isn't as easy as just brushing it off quickly and unfortunately I won't be much help in trying to actually get over it. However, if Baroness Hale can suffer from imposter syndrome (article here), we are both in good company!
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